Of Arranged Marriages
by Applelicious
Summary: When the sons of Ipswitch each get a letter ordering them to marry and quickly, they think that Reid is pranking them,until they discover that he has received the same letter...
1. Chapter 1

Of Arranged Marriages

Chapter 1: Letters and Amendments

"What did you do that for?" complained Reid as he rubbed the back of his head where he'd been hit.

"It's for this," Pogue Perry replied as he threw a letter in Reid's direction. "You're not the only one who's bored, but you have to stop with the pranks already. This one wasn't even close to being funny."

Perplexed by the accusation Reid picked up the letter and read out loud: " 'Dear Mr. Perry, it is our duty to inform you that as of December of the year 2006, an amendment has been made to the laws that govern our society. As you may be aware of, births have decreased drastically over recent decade and will continue to decrease if events are left to unfold naturally. We have therefore taken the liberty to implement amendment XV as follows: All eligible and unattached young men and women are to be married within the next three months with their assigned partners and have the duty to produce an offspring within the next year. If any man or woman who is already attached to another has been assigned a partner, then it becomes imperative that he or she notify the Council of said attachment immediately so that her or his partner may be reassigned.'" Snorting Reid returned the letter to its owner. "I didn't write that crap. I have much better taste in humor, not that it wasn't funny."

"Don't lie. I already asked Tyler and Caleb, they both received a letter like this one. And since you're the only one who seems to not have one…what is that?"

Confused by the abrupt change of topic, Reid turned around to see what his friend was talking about. "What the hell?"

With three steps Pogue had reached the window and opened it for the bird on the windowsill, which simply dropped its assignment in the room and flew off. Both teenagers stared at the letter on the floor as though they might be able to read its content through the envelope. "I think that's for you."

Reid snatched the envelope off the floor as Pogue moved behind him to read the letter's contents over his shoulder, which read: "Dear Mr. Garwin, it is our duty to inform you that as of December of the year 2006…"

Caleb entered the room followed by Tyler Sims to find both Pogue and Reid pouring over their almost identical letters. "Reid, the pranks really have to stop."

Looking up for the first time since the bird had come, Reid replied: "It wasn't me dude." Seeing the skeptical look on Caleb's face he added while holding up his own letter, "I just got one too."

"Okay, what is going on? Do you think someone knows something and is trying to freak us out?" Tyler directed the question to Caleb who was more or less their leader when they needed one.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out," he answered as four more falcons dropped off letters in Reid's room.

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"Did you get a letter from the Council?" asked Lily as she barged into her sister's room. "They are unbelievable! This time they've gone too far, they can't just decide to arbitrarily tell us who to get married to and on top of that give us a time limit of THREE MONTHS! Really, who does that? It is so undemocratic, and who voted them into power anyways? Those people need to be…."

Micah knew from experience that once her sister got started on a rant, nothing would stop her. Saying nothing, she watched Lily pace back and fort all the while half-listening to music and nodding when it seemed appropriate. "Yes I got a letter too," she finally answered when Lily threw herself on the bed next to her. "I don't think it was a very wise move but I can see how they would believe that such measures are needed. The magical community _is_ decreasing in population; the races have been inbreeding for too long, which is causing infertility at a pretty dangerous rate."

Turning on her side, Lilly faced her sister. "Still forcing everyone to marry perfect strangers? I don't think that's fair. I've never heard of this Nicca I'm supposed to get married to. Who did you get? Anyone we know?"

Micah shook her head and replied, "Someone named Reid Garwin."

A/N: Yes, it is very short, but I couldn't go to sleep until I'd written at least a prologue. I promise that the next chapter will be longer and much more will be explained. And I am also looking for a beta for this story, so if anyone would like the job, let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: The point of view has switched from omnipresent to Micah's. And thanks a bunch to RedRogue who kindly beta read the chapter, I wouldn't have found those mistakes on my own. Go read her stuff! Also big thanks to those who review, that's all we the authors on this site ask for – opinions to improve our writing!

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Covenant Movie.

Step 1: Finding Your Husband-to-be

Word of the newly integrated marriage law spread like wildfire. It probably wouldn't have been half as bad had the makers of those laws not assumed that people were _for_ interracial marriages. Within a few days, protests rose all over the "magical" community instigating more than one racially centered fight. As far as I knew the person whom I'd been ordered to marry was of the human variety. That should have made me happy, but I knew what human beings were capable of and I wasn't sure if I'd been offered the lesser evil.

My sister Lily, on the other hand, found out that her betrothed, Nicca, was one of the fey folk. There exist two branches of the fey, the Sidhe and the elves; my sister was engaged to a fairy. Though the terms Sidhe and fairy were considered interchangeable for most of history, thanks to Walt Disney, it had become an insult to be called "fairy," and it had nothing to do with a person's sexual orientation. It rather stemmed from the fact that many now associated the word with images of small winged creatures that were both petty and jealous in nature, even in the magical community.

Speak of the devil. "How did the meeting with the council go?"

"They refuse to even think about changing the law," she replied, throwing herself on my bed face forward. "They say that the community's birth rates are dangerously low and that the majority of the kids that are born are not 'magical.' As such, we're loosing our magic and they think that, and I quote, 'breeding' mixed raced children is the solution."

I couldn't help but frown. How was it that I was to marry a human if the Council believed that interracial marriages were the answer? I laid a kiss on my sister's forehead and tried to concentrate on my reading, but the question that had kept me awake for the past few days demanded an answer. I had no clue as to how this had come about, my parents were not influential in either the magical community or in that of the humans, which left me with only one direction in which to look; I had to find out exactly who my fiancé was, seeing how this seemed to be a strict case of "it's not me, it's you."

It was only three o'clock, which meant that the archives were still open. I moved to go when my sister asked: "Hey, did you ever find out who's the guys you're supposed to get hitched to?"

"Nope."

But I intended to.

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I closed yet another lineage book and sighed in frustration. Over the week, I'd gone through two centuries worth of descendants of multiple families and still had no answers. Worst of all, I did not even manage to find my fiancée. Who is this Reid Garwin I am supposed to be marrying? I was about to give up when a scroll caught my attention. Had I taken it out? It didn't matter. I unrolled it praying that it would hold the answer to my question.

An hour of reading later, I was back in my room, scroll in hand, and partial answers swimming in my head. According to the scroll, a war had broken out amongst the witches and warlocks of Western Europe around the time when America had only just been discovered, in part sparking the witch hunts that would occur a decade or so later. During that time some of the worst atrocities in the history of the magical community were committed, pushing the Council, which is made up of one of the most powerful individuals of each race, to act. They managed to stop the war, but it wasn't enough. The innocents that had suffered wanted justice, and so the real witch trials began. Those that had committed the acts were to be punished, only problem was, very few were innocent. To punish them would have been akin to destroying their community. Finally an agreement was reached between the leaders of the different factions of witches and the council, the five leaders and their families were to form a covenant and be sent to the Americas with no memory of the magical community. In essence they were taking the punishment for their people. Even though the magical community has spread out over the centuries, to be sent to America, at that time, was one of the worst punishments the council could have imposed on them. But those who had lost loved ones during that war were not satisfied and demanded more retribution, which prompted the council to add a clause to the treaty. Since the leaders were the ones who had allowed things to get so out of hand, they were cursed. The use of their powers would come with a price, their life.

What did all of that history have to do with me? Turns out that one of the cursed ones' surname was Garwin, and since it was the only Garwin line I hadn't checked out it seemed to conclude that I was to marry one of his descendants.

Just great, I needed more complication in my life.

The problems didn't stop there either, since they had no knowledge of the magical community I couldn't just show up on the guy's doorstep and say: "Hey, I'm Micah, your fiancé." Even then for me to do that much I would need to know _where_ he was, since the Council stopped keeping records of those families after they were exiled.

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"Are you sure you have to go?" Lily asked for what seemed like the tenth time.

"Yes," I replied, sitting down next to her. Looking into a face that was practically a mirror of my own I continued, "You know the Council as well as I do and I'd rather not find out what sort of retribution they would dish out if I was to ignore the law. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be very far. Massachusetts is five to eight hours from Montreal; you can come and visit me anytime you want. I'll have my own apartment."

She suddenly threw her arms around me, almost knocking us over. "It won't be the same."

"I know."

She straightened, adding, "I'll do everything in my power to get the laws changed. We'll rally people and you'll see things will go back to the way they used to be."

Oh Lily, beautiful, idealistic, dependent Lily, what was I going to do with her? I knew my sister meant well, but things didn't usually end up the way she promised they would. "Don't do anything stupid; I don't want the council's wrath to come down on you either. Be safe."

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First stop on my list was Spenser Academy situated in Ipswich: the first town in which the five families settled. And as it turns out, the school is one _those _schools, one of the ones made especially for the affluent and the influential, needless to say, I stuck out like a sore thumb. My parents, though powerful when it came down to magical abilities, were not welcome by most of the magical community because they had dared to cross the racial line. The circumstances left us pretty close to destitute. On the bright side, being a half-breed mongrel also meant that I had awesome skin, maybe a little too translucent, but I'd learned to take what I could get.

I'd barely taken two steps inside the main building when I felt eyes looking me over from head to toe, and from the looks I was getting, I would bet that the students weren't too happy I was here. I'm not sure how they knew when all students are required to wear a uniform, but they did. It was as though a neon sign was pointing to me screaming: _scholarship student_. It would make finding my intended much harder than it needed to be.

"Reid, wait up, bro." Or maybe not.

I looked around trying to pinpoint the owner of the voice but it was too late, whoever it was, had found the person I was looking for and stopped shouting.

"Crap," I muttered just as the bell rung, adding to my problems, "double crap." Just great… now all the attention gets to be on me since I'm late.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door to my first class open, praying that the teacher would just let me get to my seat without saying anything.

"May I help you miss?" It had been too much to hope for.

"Hi, I'm sorry I'm late for class, but I got lost in trying to find my way." Someone snickered. "I'm Micah…Gentry, I just transferred in," I finished and stuck out my hand.

"Welcome miss Gentry, you may take a seat and see me after class." Instead of shaking my hand like most civilized people would, he turned his back and continued writing on the board.

Nice. I looked for a seat but the class looked like it was full. I was about to point this out to the professor when a blond girl in the fourth pointed to the chair next to her and said: "there's a seat here."

I internally sighed and took the place she had kindly pointed out to me. "Thanks," I whispered.

"No problem, transfer students need to stick together," she whispered back with a genuine smile.

A building so big it was impossible to find your way without a map, check. Snobby rich kids, check. Teachers who were indifferent to students without a trust fund, check. I felt at home here already. At least it was comforting to know that things hadn't changed just because I'd moved to another country and away from the magical community. The rest of the day went on as it should have, at least for a poor kid in a rich school.

Hearing his name called out in the hall earlier could have been a coincidence. Likely, not very, seeing how Reid wasn't a very common name, but I'd stopped questioning things that didn't make sense. If nothing turned up soon I'd need to move and switch schools again. And would need to continue doing so until I found the elusive Reid Garwin.

Even after seeing all of my professors to see what I'd missed, I didn't have much to do. Catching up would be no problem because I'd gone over the same material at my old school, which left me with plenty of time to explore. My first stop would be the library, I wasn't sure I was going to find anything in a school library but it never hurt to cover all of the bases.

Wait a minute, why do all this hard work when I could simply check the student roster in the admissions office? Of course, it was the middle of the day and there were sure to be lots of people mingling in that office, but you could never overestimate a person's ability to ignore anything that isn't of importance to them. Adding to that fact was my own ability to glamour, inherited from my fey father's side of the family, and I was practically invisible.

"Hey," a girly voice sounded behind me just as I was about to enter the office. "Micah, I'm Sarah I never got to introduce myself in class earlier."

The problem with glamour was that it didn't really make me invisible, just "unnoticeable" enough that I could walk into most places without being detected. If someone who knew what I looked like were to directly look at me, then the glamour was pretty much useless.

"Oh, hey. It's nice to meet you, sorry I didn't stay to chat; I didn't want to be late to my next class," I replied, hoping that she would leave soon so that I could get the information I needed.

"I understand, I still get lost sometimes. I transferred at the beginning of the year," she explained. "Want a crash tour?"

Okay, so it wasn't going to be happening today. "Sure, thanks."

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As it turned out, Sarah was a genuinely nice person whose company I actually enjoyed. I'm not too sure how it happened, but somewhere between the admissions office on the first floor and her dorm room on the fifth floor she managed convince me to go out with her and some of her friends that night. Which is how we ended up a half hour later making our way into a local bar called Nicky's.

I looked around and there were teenagers everywhere taking part in various activities. It was obviously _the_ place to hang out after school.

"Sarah! Over here!" someone screamed through the noise.

"This way," Sarah directed me with a nod of her head to a corner of the bar. "Hey Kate, this is Micah, she just transferred in," she introduced me as we reached her friend.

The mocha skinned color girl, Kate, extended her hand with a warm smile. "Hey."

"Hey, nice to meet you," I replied shaking her hand.

"Where's everyone else?" Sarah asked.

"Caleb hasn't come in yet. Pogue and the other two are over by the pool table as always. You'd think he'd come here and stay with me, right?" Kate answered rolling her eyes, making Sarah laugh.

We made small talk for a while, the usual – where I had come from, why I'd transferred, etc. They were a funny pair.

I was glancing in the direction of the kitchen to see if our food would be coming soon when a waitress' skirt flew up revealing her underwear to many of bar's patrons. I stared; there was no wind in the room and no one had physically lifted the skirt. Someone was using magic in plain sight, but who?

"Hey Caleb." Kate's greeting brought me back to the people I was with.

"Kate. Sarah," he greeted the two girls before thoroughly kissing Sarah.

"Don't mind them, they're always like that, you get used to it," Kate explained, making me laugh in turn.

"Hey," Sarah finally greeted her boyfriend as the two of them took their seat. Seeing me she added with a smile, "Ah, this is Micah - sorry, I kinda got distracted."

Caleb was about to speak when a questioning voice sounded from behind me. "Who's this?"

"Finally the sons of Ipswich decide to honor us with their presence," Kate answered, pulling a long-haired boy down beside her.

"Don't be mad, we only borrowed Pogue for a little while. Besides you've got him so whipped we barely see him anymore," the same voice answered, getting a laugh out of everyone except the long-haired boy, whom I assumed was Pogue.

"I'll let it go this time," Kate replied snuggling under her boyfriend's arm.

I turned in my chair to face the speaker. "Micah," I introduced myself extending my hand.

"Reid Garwin."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Covenant movie except for the original characters and the plot.

Thanks: Thank you so much to Red Rogue THE best beta ever, and more likely than not the quickest. My grammar really is horrible. Go read her stuff!

**Step 2: Breaking the News (part 1)**

Reid Garwin.

What were the odds?

I must have been staring, because the smirk he'd been wearing only seconds ago widened into a predatory grin as he gave me the once over. There really was no smooth way out of the situation, so I just smiled and turned my attention to the spiky haired boy next to him.

"Tyler Sims," he introduced himself as he shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you," I replied.

Almost as soon as the two of them had settled themselves at the table, a waitress came over to take their orders. Reid ordered first, and while Tyler was busy ordering, the blonde gave the waitress a once over that did not go unnoticed. He winked at the girl making her giggle as she moved away.

Life could be unfair like that; out of all the males in the magical community I got the one who was both cursed and a womanizer.

Maybe there was another Reid Garwin in the school…

"Hey, you okay?" asked a too-perceptive Kate.

"Yeah, sorry- I spaced out there for a second. Long first day," I reassured her, adding a smile for good measure. I tried to concentrate on what was going on at the table after that but couldn't. I had way too much on my mind. I needed to get out of there to think about I was going to do next.

I tapped Kate on the shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, I'm going to get outta here, it's been a long day and I'm getting a little tired."

"Okay- you need a ride?" she asked, reaching for her keys.

I needed to be alone to figure out my next step and I had a feeling that thinking would be out of the question with her there. "No thanks, I'll just catch a cab."

"You sure? I really don't mind," she insisted.

"I'm sure, stay and enjoy the rest of the night," I said as I got up. "Say bye to everyone for me please," I added, seeing that the rest of the group's attention was riveted on Reid who was telling a story, as I made to leave before she could protest anymore.

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It occurred to me during the cab ride that since I knew about him, Reid had to know about me. He must have received the same letters I had, which took care of one problem, only to give rise to another – how much credence had he put in that letter. Being isolated from the magical community I doubted he would have believed he was being ordered by the council to marry someone so he could replenish the community with magical kids.

Sitting with a cup of tea and my copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ in the apartment I was renting, I was no closer to coming to a decision. I didn't think that walking up to him and demanding he marry me was a good idea, but short of that, I didn't have a clue about how I was supposed to be delivering the news to Mr. Garwin.

I looked at the clock; it was already one in the morning. I closed my book and went to bed. My problems could catch up with me tomorrow.

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I started awake from a nightmare. Disoriented, I looked around for a second not sure whether the bell had rang in my dream or in reality. Rubbing my eyes, I reached for my alarm clock and checked the time. It was 7:50 am and first period had just started. I seemed to have forgotten to put my alarm on. I groaned and let myself fall backwards, burying under the covers for a few more minutes. I had no intention of showing up late for class again.

Eventually, I made it to school. The classes went by in a blur and by the time lunch came around I had learned two new bits of information: one – the sons of Ipswich were in my history class, and two – more students than ever were transferring into the school. Neither seemed too important at the moment, but I had to be careful, knowing my own reasons for coming here.

I made my way outside, a sandwich in hand to have a peaceful lunch, only to be spotted by Sarah. She waved me over to one of the picnic tables in the courtyard. I sighed as I made my way towards her, even though I enjoyed Sarah and Kate's company, I was one of those people liked to be left alone from time to time.

"Hey," she greeted as I got closer. "You left so early yesterday. You didn't even wait for the food."

"Sorry, I was really tired." I offered as an apology, sitting down.

"You wouldn't happen to know a Rosamund Gentry would you?" asked Reid, momentarily breaking away from his conversation with the blond girl sitting next to him.

I started a little after hearing Reid utter my first name, the one I'd purposely chosen to drop before moving here. I quickly recovered and pretended to think before answering. I debated telling the truth and getting rid of that little hurdle right then, but it seemed more trouble than it was worth. Not to mention the fact that we weren't alone.

"No, I don't think I know anyone who has that name. Why do you ask?" It wasn't completely a lie; I didn't actually know anyone _else_ with that name.

"No reason, just wondering," he answered, before resuming his previous conversation.

I went back to eating my sandwich realizing that the table had gone silent while I was answering Reid's question. It seemed like they all knew about Rosamund Gentry. "I just noticed you guys are in my history class," I said trying to make small talk to diffuse their attention.

And with that the chatter started again all around. After a while, I found myself falling into a conversation with Tyler whom I'd pegged for a quiet, maybe shy, guy. It was awkward at first; neither of us really knew what to talk about having only met for a microsecond the day before. Finally I decided to use this opportunity to do a little investigating.

"So the sons of Ipswich huh? Any peculiar reason most people call the four of you that?" I asked figuring that I might as well start learning more about them now.

"Yeah, the people here have a long memory…"

I looked at him quizzically, hoping for him to go on.

"It's a long story, but basically we're descendants of four of the founding families that first colonized Ipswich," he explained. "After a while people just started calling us that."

"You don't seem to like it much."

He made a face. "Well, it's not so much that I don't like it. It's just that people start seeing us as a unit rather than seeing us individually. And I can't believe I just told you that."

"Really? I thought the reason would be because it made you sound like some boy band. And you know that's so 90's," I joked, attempting to make him more comfortable with his confession.

I got a smile for my efforts. "You know, you're not the first to say that. Sarah likes to mention how she still expects to see us on TRL whenever she turns on MTV."

I couldn't help but laugh a little. Tyler was easy to get along with and I could only hope that things would remain the same after I made my little announcement. Chatting with him more, I got the feeling that the other "sons of Ipswich" were also part of the cursed covenant.

Everyone began filtering back into the school as the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. As Tyler got up to go he turned to me and offered, "Walk you to your next class?"

I was a little surprised, but accepted nonetheless. "Yeah, thanks- I'm still not used to the layout of the school."

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Sitting in my last class of the day, calculus, next to Sarah and Caleb, I wondered how things would work out for them. I was unsure whether or not Caleb was actually a cursed witch, if he was, however, I was sure that Caleb's bride-to-be, whoever she was, would do all that was needed to get Caleb. Very few went against the Council's wishes. I liked Sarah and did not dislike Caleb, but there was nothing I could do for them.

I sighed, the Sons of Ipswich would have to take care of themselves and their own. I had problems of my own.

"Micah," Sarah whispered.

I turned to look at her.

"You want to hang out with us on Saturday? We're going to see a movie, then we're heading to Nicky's for dinner," she asked still whispering.

Becoming too familiar with them didn't seem like a good idea; on the other hand, it would give me the chance to learn more about all of them. I debated. "Yeah, I'll go."

"Cool. How about we meet up at the main entrance around noon?"

"Could I just meet you guys at the theater? I don't live in the dorms," I explained.

Sarah mulled this bit of information over for a second before asking: "Do you know the way to the theater?"

"Not really," I admitted. "But don't worry about it. I'll just Mapquest it."

"Ms. Wenham, Ms. Gentry, please, don't let my teaching interfere with your conversation."

Sarah blushed slightly at being caught and returned her attention to what was going on in class. I tried to do the same, but there was something about this place that discomfited me, making it hard for me to pay attention to anything they were trying to teach me.

Cold feet maybe?

Looking at the professor, I tried harder to focus on what he was saying.

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I hung out with Kate, Sarah, and occasionally Tyler for the next two days, and managed to get some alone time on Friday, which I used to reassess the situation. After hanging out with them for a couple of days, I was now certain that Caleb, Tyler, and Pogue were also part of the Covenant. Those three at least were careful of their secret, but there were signs. Having grown up with magic, I saw the interference of magic where others might think coincidence. The unnatural incidents, timely occurrences, and undeniable luck added to the fact that Reid constantly used his powers when he thought no one other than his friends were looking.

Few people take relationships seriously as teenagers, yet Kate and Sarah seemed to really be in love with Pogue and Caleb and there was no doubt that they were aware of the group's secret either. I hoped things worked out in the end. There was only one loop I could see in the marriage, but that would require for the two couples to marry immediately and I was unsure they would be willing to do such a thing.

It was time for me to stop being a coward and tell Reid the truth. There was no way for me to accurately gauge his reaction in the little I'd known him, but being the hotheaded teenager that he was, I knew it wouldn't be pretty. I needed to corner the guy and just tell him.

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It didn't take me long to find the place, since there was only one movie theater in the immediate area. I approached the building looking around for Sarah and the others. I finally spotted Tyler who was leaning against the building outside. He waved when he saw me.

"Hey," he greeted me.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"Already inside they're trying to decide what movie we're going to see." he answered, opening the door for me.

"And they left poor Tyler outside in the cold to wait for me. That wasn't very nice of them," I joked.

"I'm sure Tyler didn't mind the cold. He kept warm thinking of you."

I looked to the side to find Reid standing there with a lazy grin. I then looked back at Tyler to find him blushing.

This was not good.

"Shut up, Reid. You don't know what you're talking about, man," Tyler protested.

"Tyler quit being a pussy and just ask the girl out," Reid continued.

"Reid, you don't have a subtle bone in your body," Sarah chided making her way over along with the rest of the group.

"Yeah, well this is the perfect opportunity and he's wasting it."

"Dude, leave him alone," interjected Caleb.

"Caleb's right, Reid; he'll do it in his own time. Besides, we're making Micah uncomfortable," Pogue added.

Suddenly reminded that I was there, all eyes turned to me. I needed to stop their train of thought before it got out of hand. Kicking myself mentally for not telling Reid the truth earlier, I prepared to make my announcement. "Um…Reid could I speak to you for a second?"

"Hey, if you have something to say just say it," he said defensively.

_Boys_…

"Alright, I just wanted to say that you really shouldn't tell your friend to ask out your _future wife_."

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A/N: SOOOoo sorry this took so long, but it took me a while to write this chapter just the way I wanted it. Enjoy and I promise it won't take so long for the next one. Well…probably won't…


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Covenant movie except for the original characters and the plot.

**Step 2: Breaking the News (part 2)**

No one said anything for what seemed like an eternity. Looking at their various looks of incredulity and shock, I could almost find the situation comical.

If only I hadn't been part of the plot.

I'd originally planned on cornering Reid at school to tell him who I really was and explain to him my reasons for lying when he asked about "Rosamund Gentry." Instead, here we were in a crowded movie theater with every one of his friends present, standing in an uneasy silence because I hadn't been able to keep my big mouth shut for a few more hours.

My only defense: it'd made sense in my head.

"Um, I take it you're a fan of Reid?" Tyler asked, at long last breaking the silence.

It was now my turn to be confused. I looked around the rest of the group and realized for the first time how my announcement might have sounded to someone who didn't have my extensive knowledge of the situation. Now they probably all thought I was a crazed groupie and part of one of Reid's Spenser fan clubs.

Crap.

"Um…not really," I replied struggling to find the right words. I had no idea how to go about explaining myself. They already thought I wasn't right in the head. What would they think if I were to tell them I needed to get married to Reid within the next two and a half months because the leading body of the magical community demanded it?

Someone bumped into me, a nagging reminder that we were still at the movies. "Could we do this somewhere else?" I asked, directing my question at Reid.

His eyes met mine and I knew that he'd gotten my meaning the first time around and was not happy about it.

"Please?"

I wasn't sure what he was going to do, but the rest of the group remained quiet and I knew that they would back up whatever he decided. Finally making up his mind, he let out a frustrated growl before dragging me out of the movie theater to a huge black jeep. I followed, trying not to trip, knowing that he would probably just continue pulling me along if I did. I wondered if this was the last time anyone would see me alive. He propelled me towards the passenger door as he made his way to the driver's side. I stood there for a second, deliberating whether or not to get in. My timing had been, to say the least, undeniably bad and right this instant going anywhere with my future husband appeared to be a really bad idea. I took in my surroundings and tried to calculate my chances of escape.

As if reading my mind, he rolled down the window and warned: "Chasing you down will just make me angrier."

Seeing little choice in the matter, I climbed in the passenger side, buckled my seat belt, and resolved myself to my fate. The back doors opened on both sides as Tyler, Pogue, and Kate came in. I sighed; I'd hoped that we would be alone when the moment came for me to tell Reid about the situation.

But then again, feeling the animosity he was emanating made me glad that there would be people there.

I looked out the window trying to concentrate on the landscape, futilely willing my heart to stop beating so hard against my rib cage. I needed to be calm to do this. I peeked at Reid from the corner of my eye, his gaze was fixed on the road ahead, jaw tightly clenched. I could almost see the outline of a nerve jutting from his temple. He looked so much like an anime character, I almost laughed for a second. That was until he turned to stare at me.

After about fifteen more minutes, a large house came into view. As Reid turned into the driveway, I noticed that Caleb's silver car was already parked there. I wondered whose home it was.

Shutting off the engine, Reid shot out of the car without looking to see if I would follow. Pogue and Kate did the same, sending me curious looks, obviously still believing that I was some kind of groupie. Tyler, on the other hand, gave me a lingering look I didn't quite know how to interpret before joining his friends.

Breathing unevenly, I made my way to the door.

I walked down the main hallway, not knowing where else to go. The house had an old feel to it, most of it probably contributed by the architecture, which was much different from that of the more modern houses people seemed to favor these days. The walls were richly decorated with paintings from different eras and chandeliers loomed overhead. From the glimpses of rooms I caught as I walked by, the rest of the housed was pretty much the same, and I gathered that whoever lived here, came from old money. Reaching the end of the corridor, I entered the living room, hoping that they would be there so I wouldn't need to keep wondering through the mansion alone.

And they were. All eyes turned to me, wondering, I'm sure, why Reid had accepted my request. I dreaded having to answer their questions. I looked here and there, taking in the surroundings, noticing everything from the color of the window drapes, to that of the Victorian couches they were sitting on, stalling as much as I could. What I dreaded most of all was Reid's reaction and his unwavering angry gaze.

I opened my mouth, my eyes resting on my husband-to-be who was deceptively calm, leaning against the fireplace, but no words would come. I didn't know where to start. "I'm not crazy," I managed finding my voice.

Someone snorted.

"And I know you're witches."

That got their attention, but they were now also weary of my intentions; I could see it in their eyes.

"So am I, well…partially anyways. But that's not the reason why I'm here, I came to Spenser to look for Reid because I got a letter from the Council about two and a half weeks ago telling me that we were supposed to get married."

Reid was the only one who didn't seem surprised by the news. "Your name?"

"I lied. Micah's my second name. I dropped Rosamund to be less identifiable. I didn't know how much weight you'd put in that letter, not knowing about the magical community. More to the point, I didn't think that announcing my presence in the middle of the school yard would have been a very good idea."

It was Caleb who spoke this time. "Did you just say magical community?"

I nodded.

"You mean there are more people out there with powers like us?" Tyler half stated, half asked.

"Not quite like yours, but there are others with magical abilities."

"Why have we never come across anyone else then?" Pogue asked, and then amended, "Well, other than Chase."

I didn't know who Chase was, but I thought about this for a second. "You might have. The thing is that most magic users don't really get along with the general population and often live apart. They basically only come in contact with others of the magical community, plus they usually hide their identity if they do decide to visit the human world. Besides, most humans don't have any telltale sign that marks them as magic users. Even if they aren't human or human-like, they can just glamour themselves. it makes them undetectable," I answered truthfully. Remembering my first day at Spenser and how easily Sarah had spotted me, I corrected myself. "Well, practically undetectable anyway."

Caleb and Pogue seemed to find it a viable answer, but their expressions were still guarded. I still couldn't gauge Tyler's reaction, however, turned away from me as he was; I couldn't see his usually expressive eyes. Sarah and Kate seemed to be the most accepting of all, they weren't quite smiling but neither were they unfriendly.

"Fey? As in fairies?" I turned slightly to face Reid.

I shrugged. "Or elves."

"That's bullshit." I'd been waiting for him to say something of the kind.

"Did you really believe that out of six and a half billion humans, only the four of you had powers?" I could see both the arrogance and the doubt on his face. He didn't _want_ to believe I was right.

"Other witches, I could accept. But fairies? Elves? What next?" he asked sarcastically, moving towards me. "Are you going to tell me that the Easter bunny really exists?"

"_You're_ real, aren't you?," I countered.

He said nothing, but I could see that he wanted to argue. "Let's say I believe you are who you say you are. What then? I'm not going to marry you because some 'council' says so."

"I thought you might feel that way. But I have to let you know that it's in your best interest to do as they say."

"Is that a threat?" he demanded, now only two steps from me.

"No, it's a warning Reid. The Council is powerful; in fact they're the most powerful members of each race. You don't want to go against them. There's a reason they're the ruling body." I turned towards the other to make that point clear to all of them, but found that only Reid and I remained in the room.

"Did Pogue, Caleb, and Tyler also get letters?" Reid nodded, answering for the group. "If I found you, then their individual… 'assigned partners' shouldn't, or rather won't, have a problem finding them." I continued, "maybe not as quickly as I did, but they eventually will. And things might not be as peaceful for your friends as it was for you. I've been around humans before. Others, especially if they're not human, might not be as sensitive or subtle, and won't mind using force to get what they want."

He'd listened to what I had to say, but the arrogance was still there. "Thanks for the concern, but we can take care of ourselves."

I was getting annoyed. "I don't doubt that you could take care of yourselves against most. But as powerful as your lineages are, your families have been banished for a long time. No one knows how you would rank now. Not to mention that those who are going to come here looking for their mates won't be cursed like you guys, which means that their power won't be limited."

That threw him. "What do you mean 'banished'? '_Cursed_'?"

"There's a lot that you don't know, but I don't have the time to explain everything. I'll try to get the archives that relate to your covenant. But seriously Reid, you didn't grow up around enough magical beings. Some of them are more powerful than you could ever imagine… "

"What are you? You said you were partially a witch," he interrupted.

I hadn't pegged _him_ as the observant one. "I'm half witch, half Seelie Sidhe, or a light fairy, if you want."

"What, no wings?" Reid taunted.

In no mood to put up with him, I began to unbutton my shirt, much to his alarm.

"What are you doing?" he asked quickly.

"Giving you your answer," I replied as I turned around and let the top half of my shirt fall below my shoulder blades where my wings started.

"Are those tattoos?"

"Yes. Not all Sidhe have wings," I began explaining. "For those that do their wings begin as tattoos and develop as they grow older until they have full wings. But I'm only half Sidhe, which is why mine never became full-fledged wings."

I hadn't realized that he'd come closer until his fingers touched my skin. "How do I know this isn't just a regular tattoo?"

"You don't," I said moving away. "Believe me or not; it's up to you, but pass on the warning to the others." I quickly buttoned up my dress-shirt and turned to leave.

"What about Kate and Sarah? Are Pogue and Caleb just supposed to dump them and get married?" he asked heatedly.

He really was a lost cause. "I don't make up the rules, I just follow them. And so should you," I replied not bothering to stop or turn around.

"Do you always do what you're told?"

I wasn't going to take the bait. "Someone watched X-men one too many time," I replied instead, my humor returning with the bulk of the problem having been dumped in his lap. I'd done my part.

A/N: As you may have noticed, I am a really slow writer, add the fact that I'm back at school and that means…really slow updates. I will try my best for the next chapter. Review!

P.S. Would you rather have quicker updates and shorter chapters or longer chapters and slower updates?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Covenant movie except for the original characters and the plot.

A/N: Kill me later…read first!

And many many thanks to Red Rogue who beta-read my crappy grammar yet again.

**Step 3: Letting Things Unfold?**

Thinking back on it, I thought the discussion went fairly smoothly, too much so maybe. There'd been a few uncomfortable silences and choice words, but nothing I hadn't expected. Not having known Reid for long had me expecting the worst, an earth-shaking catalyst would have been just about right. His reaction or rather lack there of, worried me. I couldn't help but feel like a blind person trying to avoid a hurricane.

Fatalistic? Maybe. Realistic? Definitely.

But then again, I hadn't been to school for the past week, which was not helping to relieve any of the stress. I knew I would have to face them again, but I'd wanted to give him time to digest the information. Hoping that he would have already come to terms with the situation would have been too much like hoping for world peace. I sighed.

Whether he was ready or not, Reid and I were going to talk. Standing in front of the school exactly two weeks after I'd transferred to Spenser, I once more debated my choice to return so soon. After all my husband-to-be did need time to think things through and I was pretty sure I'd used up all the luck I'd been allotted this lifetime last time we'd spoken. I looked wistfully behind me; the gates of the academy had never beckoned as they did now, while the steps that led to the entrance of the school had never looked so ominous.

If only I'd had a few more weeks to prepare.

I fought off a shiver and quickly walked up the stairs of the school before I could change my mind. Looking at the clock, it read 7:45. Perfect, I had enough time to talk to a few of my teachers about making up the week I'd missed.

Thankfully, the first two classes of my day were son of Ipswich free and with friendly teachers who simply assigned me some work. The day could not, however, go on as it had, third period was study hall. An hour of free time, which I happened to share with Tyler…the man on whom I was currently holding responsible for the current situation. I wasn't blind to the fact that things would have eventually unfolded this way. But I still held him accountable for the timing.

I was among the first students to enter the library. I quickly scanned the crowd for signs of Tyler. He was already sitting at the far left end corner of the library studiously doing his homework. Unsure of my welcome, I nonetheless walked to the back of the room to join him.

He didn't look up as I sat down across from him, which meant I'd have to say something first. My mind went blank. What was I supposed to say to this boy-man? I wasn't even sure he wouldn't look up, see me, and decide to hex me. Okay, maybe that was more Reid's style and Tyler was more likely to simply get up and leave, either way, what I really needed to know was what they were thinking now that they knew the letters they had received weren't just some stupid chain letters.

"Hey." Simple and effective, even if unimaginative.

His head snapped up as he stared at me. He didn't look angry, but wasn't being exactly friendly either. Annoyed maybe? As the minutes trickled by, I began fidgeting, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with his silence and intense scrutiny.

"So…how have things been with everyone since the last time I saw you guys?" I hedged, attempting small talk.

Silence reigned.

"How's Reid handling things?"

Nothing.

"Anything new with you? A peculiar someone come seeking a husband maybe?"

His eyes narrowed, but still he said nothing.

It was my turn to get annoyed. I knew he had every reason to be wary; I couldn't really blame him for being on his guard, but that didn't stop me from doing so. Although we hadn't known each other long, I had hoped for more trust from him.

"Look, I know I should have said something from the beginning, but imagine how things would have turned out if I had suddenly come up to Reid and declared myself to be his future wife?" I asked, praying for some sort of reaction.

He didn't speak, but I could see some of the tension in his posture ease as he shifted in his seat. I took it as a sign to go on.

"I didn't even know who I was looking for when I first came to Spenser. All I knew was that the guy I was supposed to marry was named Reid Garwin. Our meeting at Nicky's that first night was completely random. I never thought I'd find him so quickly. It was a complete…"

He held up a hand to stop me and sighed. "You still should have said something."

"You're probably right." I readily agreed.

When he simply returned to his work, I began to wonder again. "So, you're not mad at me?"

He looked up once more and looked pensive for a moment. "Not really... I'm just… confused? Maybe that's not the right word for it. Uncertain? I mean a hidden magical community? Arranged marriages? It all sounds so… Harry Potter."

This time I was the one whose eyes narrowed. "You still don't believe me." I made it a statement.

He shrugged. "Sorry?"

"So you guys pretty much think this is some kind of elaborate hoax?" I asked disbelieving.

He once more offered a nonchalant shrug as answer.

"Why would I invent a magical community, an arranged marriage to Reid, and tattoo more than half my back?" I paused as something dawned on me. "Wait, you don't still think that I'm one of those Reid worshipers do you?"

He looked as though he wanted to answer, but didn't know how to go about it without being too harsh.

"Well, do you?" I demanded.

"I… don't know what to think. But that's the theory Reid's been operating on…along with Tyler and Caleb."

I groaned. Just great, they weren't taking the whole thing seriously and worst I was being reduced to the level of a crazy Spenser fan club member… again. I should have welcomed the burning hatred Reid had throw at me before.

"Well, if this is some kind of plan to make Reid fall madly in love with me, it's a really bad one." I grumbled, pouting slightly.

"My thoughts exactly," he said smiling hesitantly, offering a flag of truce.

And just like that it seemed like we were back to where we were before the "revelation". I wasn't sure what that made us exactly, but I was going to take all that I could, at least he didn't seem to think I was one of the lovesick puppies that constantly followed Reid around.

"So…" he began.

I turned away from my depressing thoughts and gave him my full attention; I owed him that much. I waited for him to go on, but instead of continuing he shook his head slightly as though breaking free from a spell, smiled at me, and shook his head again in a "never mind" kind of way.

"So…what?"

"It's nothing."

"Really?" I asked becoming curious.

Still he kept quiet.

"Go on, I promise to try not to get mad for whatever you're going to say next. And even if I do get mad, I promise it won't be against you. I'll be against Reid because I know if I find it insulting it probably stems from something he said."

He laughed at that, just as I'd hoped.

"Seriously though, you can ask me anything." I urged. "I'll do my best to answer."

He straightened in his chair looking uncertain, but decided to speak anyway. "I know you enough to say that I don't think you're part of the RRFs, but I don't know what to think about the rest, I..."

I stopped him mid-sentence. "But you need to be convinced. I get it."

He nodded.

"Fine then, go get your buddies."

He looked surprised. "What?"

"You're going to meet my family." I elaborated. "Go get the rest of your Covenant."

He had that why-would-I-want-to-do-that look on his face.

"You want proof or not?" I asked.

"But what does meeting your family have anything to do with…"

I interrupted again. "Go now, before I change my mind." And before I lost my nerve.

"Fine," he said with a longsuffering sigh.

"Meet me in front of your locker in 10 minutes."

I could hear him mutter under his breath what sounded like: "Just like Reid." And chose to ignore it; how was I like Reid? As he began to walk away, I remembered something.

"What's the RRF?"

He smirked. "The Rabid Reid Fanclub."

"Oh."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd had no problem clamoring my way out of the library but belatedly wondered how Tyler was going to get the other Sons of Ipswich here, let alone convince them to come. I was reassured a few minutes later when I saw Tyler coming my way with the rest of the covenant in tow. They didn't look too happy to be breathing the same air as me.

"Okay, let's go then." I said pushing away from the lockers where I had been leaning, walking towards the school entrance without looking to see if they were following. We made our way out of the school without once being questioned. Apparently being a son of Ipswich came with some perks.

I partially got in my car before finally turning to face them. "How do you want to do this? Wanna ride with me or would you rather drive yourselves?"

Caleb stepped forward and decided for the group. "We'll just ride with you," he answered, much to Reid's dismay.

"I can't believe we're doing this," the blond muttered as he got in the back seat.

"Where are we going exactly?" Pogue asked from his seat between Caleb and Reid.

"Montreal."

"What?" Reid exclaimed shoving his way between the passenger seats. "That's at least six hours away. Isn't there some sort of Diagon Alley we can use?"

I rolled my eyes. It'd only been a matter of time before he said some disparaging comment. "First of all that's not how Diagon Alley works. Secondly, you guys read way too much Harry Potter."

Reid scowled, Caleb sighed, Pogue smirked, and Tyler snorted.

This was going to be a long ride.

A/N: I am so sorry it took me…a few months to get this chapter out, but once again life got in the way. I know crappy excuse. And the chapter isn't that long but it didn't make any sense for me to cut it somewhere else…Still I will try to update every week or two from now on.

P.S. Critics are always appreciated…just as are reviews…hint hint.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Covenant movie except for the original characters and the plot.

A/N: Thanks so much to RedRogue for her wonderful editing, as usual. Things could get really ugly without her.

**Step 4: Add a Touch of Magic**

The drive to my home was not a comfortable one to say the least; long, slow and tortuous were more accurate adjectives. The covenant, aside from Tyler, still believed I was crazy, which impeded conversation a bit. Adding the animosity that emanated from Reid to the mix, made for one of the most uncomfortable car trips I'd ever had to endure.

After two hours of stilted silence, I'd had enough. It would take at least three more hours before we reached the border and about one more hour after that to reach my home. I was doing all of the driving and was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel without anything to distract me.

"So where's the fifth?" I hedged around what I hoped was a safe topic.

I didn't think it was possible, but the already loaded silence became even heavier

Curiosity got the better of me and I ventured a peek in the rearview mirror; only to end up on the receiving end of one of Reid's deadlier glares. Apparently it wasn't the right question to get them talking.

I tried again. "Have you been contacted by your wives-to-be yet?"

More silence greeted the question. They weren't going to crack like Tyler had.

Since conversation was definitely not an option, I tried turning on the radio. I mashed the "seek" button futilely looking for something other than static, however, seeing how we were on the highway and miles from civilization, there was no music to be found. I sighed. I wanted to ask about their situation. I was concerned for Kate and Sarah. I hadn't known either of them long, but they'd been nicer to me than most of the people I'd met so far. Caleb, Pogue, Tyler hadn't received word from their intendeds. As far as I knew, I was the only one to have found my way to one of their own, which of course did not boost my credibility.

Finally, after what felt like a decade drive rather than the six hours it actually took, we arrived. I parked the car down the driveway and took in the familiar surroundings; I hadn't been home in a couple of years because of my studies. It used to be taboo to marry outside one's race, but my parents had been as indifferent to laws, both written and unspoken, then as they were now. They were not well respected for their decision. They'd wanted for Lily and I to get our magical education, but without having to deal with the stigma of being "mixed" and sending us away to study with various masters in distant countries had been their best solution.

Getting out of the car I stretched out, my muscles having become sore from staying in one position for so long, and started to follow the path that lead to the house.

"This way," I called out as I waited for them to catch up.

Even with my peripheral vision and the fact that it was already dark out I clearly saw the this-is-it disbelieving look Reid gave me as the house came into view.

"Sorry to disappoint, Reid, but this isn't some secret safe house owned by the Black family."

"Ha ha," he replied to my taunt. And I had to laugh in turn. The fact that he'd gotten my reference meant that he had to have read the Harry Potter books.

"I still don't get the point of this visit," he said coming up to me.

"The point is to convince you I'm not one of the R.R.Fs."

He smirked in the dark and continued walking.

As we made our way to the house, I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I imagined how the Covenant would react to meeting my parents, especially my father. Lily and I looked like our mother, which basically translated to human looking. Aside from the slight iridescence of our skin and tricolored eyes, we could have been part of the normal crowd. The fey come in all shapes and forms and even though my father was on the human side of the scale, he would not go unnoticed in a crowd. With pale golden skin that could only be described as sparkling and hair that mirrored the colors of the boreal forest during autumn, a person didn't have to be looking at the various shades of blue of his eyes or wings to see that he wasn't human.

I hesitated at the door, doubting my decision to bring the sons of Ipswich. I'd brought the Covenant here on a whim. Tired of their constant claims that I was insane, I'd wanted to shut them up once and for all without thinking about what I was doing first. As satisfactory as the look on their faces as they met my father was sure to be, I wasn't so sure that my parents would relish their quiet existence being disturbed by a bunch of disbelieving teenage boys who wouldn't recognized the truth if it bit them all in their collective asses.

It was too late to go back now and _I_ did not relish the idea of them thinking me insane and a liar even more than they already did. After a moment more of hesitation, I tried twisting the doorknob, belatedly remembering that I didn't have the key. It clicked and turned easily; it had been left unlocked. I sighed again, only in exasperation this time. As powerful and intelligent as my parents were, they were not very sensible when it came to caution. All it would take was one intrepid human to fall upon them at the right time and the whole community would be exposed.

The house looked empty at first, but I could hear indistinct voices drifting down the hallway. I followed the light I saw coming from the living room, expecting to come upon my parents playfully arguing about something trivial.

I wasn't quite in the living room yet when someone, a male, spoke.

"I will not leave this place without my bride."

I stopped dead in my tracks as the energy that emanated from the room changed, turned menacing. Turning around, I saw the Covenant coming up behind me, unaware that something was wrong. I wanted to go see what was happening, but I was too uncertain of the situation. Not wanting for their introduction to the magical to be a violent one, I quickly crossed the short distance that was separating us and grabbed the first person I reached.

That person just so happened to be Reid.

"Hey, I know you want me," he said, adding that annoying and oh-so-inappropriate smirk. "But you'll have to wait your turn; there's a line at school."

For some reason his mood seemed to have improved, which I would normally have commented on, but there was a time and place and this was not it. "Change of plans, we're coming back some other time," I said, half-dragging Reid with me and grabbing Tyler along the way.

"Why?" asked Pogue, putting himself between me and the entrance.

"Now's not a good time," I answered brusquely. The energy levels were still rising in that room and for some reason the Covenant had yet to notice anything. How had they survived this long?

"Care to elaborate?" Caleb stated rather than asked, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I let go of both the arms I'd been holding onto and turned to face Caleb who had positioned himself behind me opposite Pogue.

They were blocking all the escape routes. Did they think I wanted to run away? What for?

"It's just a bad time. My parents are taking care of a family matter."

"Really…?" Reid trailed off, inserting sarcasm in every syllable. But I wasn't paying attention to him; I was watching Caleb. He was their leader whether they realized it or not. He was the one I needed to convince.

"I'm only taking you to a motel. I swear to bring you back tomorrow so that you can speak to my parents."

I could see Caleb gauging the situation, wondering whether or not I was lying. I didn't expect much else seeing how they hadn't believe anything I'd told them so far. He was about to speak when it hit our group.

The force of the blast knocked me into the wall, but I was the first to recover. Pushing myself away from the wall, I ran for the living, forgetting about the Covenant. From the doorway I saw my father facing off with a male Sidhe whom I'd never met.

Nicca.

It had to be him.

I looked around the room to see both my mother and sister rising from the floor where they had probably been knocked down by the energy wave. Neither of them looked seriously hurt.

I turned my attention back to the two men squaring off in the middle of the room. My father had never been a violent man, what could this stranger have done to make him so angry? Then I thought back on what I'd heard earlier. Nicca had come for my sister and obviously my father had objected.

It was in moments like these I wished my powers were more useful, more like my mother, more like my father, and less like the mixture of them both they were. I could make flowers bloom, make fruit ripe, revive a dying tree, but nothing that would help the situation. I didn't have a hand of power, a single ability outside fey nature, as most Sidhe do. In that way I was like my mother, I could use magic, but my range of abilities was constricted to a single field.

"Wow," I heard someone said softly from behind me, a reminder that I'd brought the sons of Ipswich to meet my parents.

I turned to find Tyler transfixed by the sight of the Sidhe men facing off in the center of the room. If nothing else, Tyler seemed to be convinced now.

Returning my attention the unfolding events in the living room, I saw that I wasn't the only one who'd heard Tyler. Both my father's and Nicca's gazes were riveted to the Covenant gathered at my back. No one said anything at first; they all looked surprised to see me, not to mention the group of gawking teenage male witches I'd brought along for this visit.

I laughed shakily, unnerved to have the attention of two very angry Sidhe men fixed on me, even if one of them was my father. "Hi dad, I just came to visit…"

I'd barely gotten the words out that I was interrupted by Reid.

"Fuck!" he sounded flabbergasted. He'd replaced Tyler at my back and was staring open mouthed at Nicca.

I knew it was inappropriate, but I could help it: I rolled my eyes. My father sent me a quizzical look. I shook my head in answer; it was going to take a while to explain.

Taking advantage of our distraction, Nicca swung his sword, aiming low. My father reacted in time, but not quickly enough to completely avoid the attack. Nicca managed to slash his arm.

My father readied himself for the next attack, but the next blow never came. Instead Nicca raised his hand and the gash on my father's arm began bleeding profusely. Other cuts began to appear and bleed just as freely. Nicca had the hand of blood.

All of this had happened in a matter of seconds.

"What the hell?" one of the Sons, I wasn't sure which one, asked, or rather stated, from behind me. So much for their first encounter with the community not being a violent one.

I made to help, but someone grabbed my arm. It was my mother. She and my sister had moved closer while we'd been watching the dueling pair. I gave her a questioning look.

"Be quiet," she said looking behind me. "And don't interrupt," she added for my benefit before returning her attention to the fight.

I wanted to help, but looked on horrified instead as my father lifted his own hand and threw his power at my sister's husband-to-be. The room became brighter as if dawn was rising early. Darkness gathered at the center of the room and crawled up Nicca's form, swallowing him. His eyes widened, his free hand coming to his throat, he looked like he was choking.

Maybe it was adrenaline that made it seem like things were happening at a much slower speed than they actually were, but it seemed like the two stood there hands raised, fighting, for hours. Finally, Nicca dropped to his knees, subdued. My father had won.

I started towards them, intending to help, but my father raised a hand to stop me.

"Leave," he commanded, looking at the other Sidhe.

Something close to hatred gleamed in Nicca's eyes, but he lifted himself off the floor and staggered towards the door. Moving out of his way when he left the room, we watched his wounded form as he made his way out. Reaching the front door, he turned. "You know the council's orders as well as I do."

I wasn't sure who he was speaking to.

But my mother who'd been watching his retreat with cool eyes answered. "We do."

Seeming satisfied with the reply, he opened the door and walked out.

I felt my sister move back into the living room and heard my mother speaking softly to my father. They would care for his wounds. I let out a breath I wasn't aware I'd been holding, but continued staring at the door, I couldn't help but feel like he could simply decide to come back and take my sister.

A hand grabbed my shoulder, making me jump. I turned around to find Caleb staring down at me, eyes full of questions. I looked behind him, the others sons had similar expressions on their faces: confusion, shock, even a little curiosity. I was certain they'd managed to guess the gist of it, but I wasn't sure I was up to explaining what had just happened on top of everything else.

I was tired, still a little shell-shocked, but mostly angry; angry at the council for issuing such a decree, at the man-Sihde who'd just left, at Reid for not believing me, and I couldn't stop the sarcastic remark that came next. "Still think I'm crazy?"

"No." Caleb looked defeated.

I wanted to rub it in, say 'I told you so,' but I decided to be an adult about it instead. "Good."

I moved past the cluster they'd formed the entrance to the living room and went to see how my father was faring. He was sitting on the floor in a pool of blood as Lily hovered over him, healing wounds after she'd cleaned them, but he managed a smile for me as I came closer. Sitting next to him, I began dabbing at his wounds with a clean cloth, trying to be helpful.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" I think it was Tyler who'd spoken.

My mother looked at them first, then at me. "You never introduced us to your friends."

I wasn't sure I wanted to right this moment. They'd just beaten out one of their future sons-in-law, how would they treat this one? Decided to get it over with, I ushered into the room the sons of Ipswich and introduced them one by one. "Caleb," I said lightly pushing him into the room, "Pogue," I continued, "Tyler." I hesitated before also introducing the last member of the group. Was this really a good idea? "And this is Reid, the guy I'm supposed to marry." I finished lamely.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations from the covenant.

A/N: Not edited yet, so forgive grammar.

Step 6: Hurdling the hurdle

I couldn't sleep. The silence of the room was only broken now and again by my sister's even breathing. I looked at the clock on my nightstand. It read two o'clock. I'd been in bed for at least an hour, yet sleep still eluded me.

Tossing back the covers, I pushed myself up and touched my feet to the ground. I was restless; I couldn't stop feeling like something was going to happen. I wasn't able to get much out of my family, which was likely contributing to my insomnia.

Much to my surprise, they didn't try to kill Reid after I'd introduced him, opting instead with asking why I'd brought them here. During the length of the explanation, my dad barely looked at the group clustered in the doorway, acknowledging them only afterwards with the tiniest of nods. My mother did much the same, recognizing their presence with only a glance. Lilly was the only on who introduced herself as she greeted them from beside my father with a wave of the hand. They then gave me the task of settling the sons of Ipswich in the guestrooms for the night and went to sleep.

Obviously I was missing some information about the whole Nicca situation.

Looking over at my sleeping sister, I sighed as I got up. I'd have to make her tell me about it tomorrow, if I ever got enough sleep to make my brain function properly.

As quietly as I could manage, I tiptoed my way out of the bedroom, stopping only to grab a quilt on my way out. I then made my way to the front porch where I settled myself on one of the patio chairs, wrapping the quilt around myself. The night air was cooler than before, but it was a comforting reminder that I was home.

I couldn't be sure how long I'd been sitting there just looking up at the stars when I heard footsteps. I turned to see Reid standing in the doorway, watching me. Not in the mood for the verbal battle that was sure to ensue, I went back to admiring the night sky without saying anything.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked quietly from where he stood.

I nodded mutely, hoping he would take the hint and leave things be.

"Me neither," he informed me sitting down.

I wasn't sure what he expected me to say. I didn't want an argument and I was getting a headache just thinking about trying to explain the magical community to him. I therefore opted to stay silent, wishing he would leave me to enjoy my peace and quiet.

"You going to share your blanket or what?" I'd been too much to hope for.

I looked at him again and realized that he was still wearing part of the Spenser uniform, but no coat. Even thought he deserved the cold he'd surely get for not wearing a coat and it meant bringing him closer, I wasn't cruel.

"Here," I said as I handed him a corner of my quilt.

"Thanks."

The silence lasted only a few minutes. "So we're supposed to get married huh?"

I didn't bother looking at him. "Uh-huh." I drew out the syllables.

Another pause issued.

"So…" he hedged. "We were kinda wrong about the whole you're a liar and one of the RRFs thing."

This time I caught his eye and gave him my best are-you-kidding look.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "You have to admit, you wouldn't have reacted much better if you'd been in our place."

I thought about it. "Probably," I admitted at length. It was about as much of an apology as I was going to get from him, so I accepted it.

"You're not much of a talker are you?"

I looked at him again. "I'm tired and not really in the mood for conversation."

"Ah." He shifted, gazing up at the sky. He looked young in the moonlight, and uncertain.

My curiosity got the better of me. He wasn't here to make small talk or because he liked talking to me. "Why are you here Reid?" I asked. "What is it you want to know?"

"I'm not sure. I couldn't sleep and then I saw you sitting here. So…" he trailed off.

I wasn't happy with the incomplete answer and it must have shown on my face because he then added: "Besides, isn't it time I got to know you? We _are_ supposed to get married."

Maybe I was being cynical, but his change of heart seemed too sudden. "I take it you've changed your mind about the marriage thing."

"Well," he said, turning to me with a wolfish grin. "I realized it meant we get to go on a honeymoon." He finished with a leer.

In return, I gave him the look he deserved.

He looked unperturbed. "What? Can you really blame me for thinking about it?"

"So you'd try to get in my pants even if you thought I was crazy?"

The face he gave me was all the answer I needed.

"You're unbelievable."

"Would you rather I lied to you?" he asked.

"You're an ass," I retorted.

"So I've been told." He grinned contently, stretching out his legs before him. "Never seems to stop girls from throwing themselves at me though."

I shook my head in exasperation. At least he wasn't delusional.

"Do you think they're going to show up soon?" he asked, suddenly, all laughter gone from his voice.

The question caught me off guard. I searched his face, surprised at the sudden turn of the conversation. I found genuine concern for his friends there. It made me think better of him.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "Maybe."

"Is there any way to know…" he paused grasping for the right words and settling for "who they are?"

I had the feeling he wanted to say "what" they are. "You could try looking for them in the Archives." I replied after thinking about it. I'd worked for me. "The Archives are a library that keeps records of all of the families that are part of the magical community. Well at least most of them, the records aren't perfect, but they're your best bet." I explained.

He nodded. "Could you show them to me?" he asked, concern for his friends clearly painted on his face.

I was sure I was seeing a side of Reid not many people got to witness, not even his friends. I reached out and touched his left hand, which lay fisted in his lap. "I will."

He squeezed my hand and gave me his trademark grin. "Thanks."

"I think we just had a moment." I teased him.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure we'll have better moments, mainly in the bedroom." And just like that the cocky-borderline-asshole attitude was back. I let go of his hand disgusted.

He laughed.

We stayed there in companionable silence for I'm not sure how long; I nodded off at some point and vaguely remembered him asking where my bedroom was.

I woke up in the morning with a start, automatically reaching for the clock to check the time. It was ten in the morning and for a moment I thought I was late to class. My memories of the previous night were a little hazy, the veil hadn't completely lifted and I wasn't sure how much of it had been a dream and how much had actually happened. Only thing I was certain of was why I was here.

Lilly had already vacated her bed, which meant I couldn't make her tell me the whole of what had happened last night with Nicca. I pulled back the covers lazily and went to shower.

As I went down the stairs I heard voices emanating from the kitchen. I hurried to see who was in there. Going closer, I'd been able to make out my sister's voice and several male voices. I reached the doorway and indeed the Covenant was in there, scattered around the room, making conversation with Lilly, who didn't seem to mind the attention of several attractive teenage male witches.

I went in and zoomed in on the kitchen island where coffee awaited me.

"Slept well?" Reid asked, making me jump a little. I sensed someone close by, but I hadn't expected him, Lilly or Tyler maybe.

I turned, so I was facing him and the wall. He gave me one of his now familiar grins, instantly making me suspicious. "Well enough," I replied cautiously. "Is there a reason you're asking?"

He moved to my right still facing the kitchen and leaned into the counter. "Did you know you talk in your sleep?" he continued to question me, trying in vain to restrain the smirk playing on his lips.

"It happens," I answered even more suspicious.

"Okay, just wondering." With that he left to rejoin the rest of the group, leaving me puzzled.

What had that been all about?

I tried to ignore it and went to join everyone.

"Morning," Caleb greeted me looking, I was happy to see, slightly embarrassed.

"Morning," I returned the greeting brightly, before exchanging two more 'mornings' with Tyler and Pogue, still smiling politely. I could _so_ be mature about the whole thing.

Uncomfortable silence settled over the room. The only ones who didn't weren't bothered by it were my sister, who didn't know much about the situation and was looking from one person to another trying to understand, and of course Reid. But then again nothing seemed to ever faze him.

"So…" Cool and collected Caleb trailed off, for once looking unsure as to how to proceed next.

"So…" I repeated. I was being petty, but I was half-human after all.

"What Caleb is trying to say Tinkerbell," Reid interrupted sitting causally at the table, "is we're sorry we didn't believe in the crazy notion that, much like in Harry Potter, there exists a whole hidden magical community."

All I could say was, "Tinkerbell?" At the same time Caleb let out a frustrated "Reid!"

Reid shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with my new nickname and probably laughing at his "brother's" embarrassment. Maybe our conversation the previous night _had_ happened in my dream.

"That's basically it," Tyler intervened, trying to hide a smirk.

I smiled at him, he'd been willing to give me the benefit of the doubt and since he was speaking up for them, I decided to relent. "I accept your apology," I said looking from one son of Ipswich to the other, but focusing mainly on Caleb.

Relief was evident on his face. "Thanks."

"You guys want breakfast?" Lilly asked, saving us from another awkward silence.

"I'll help," I volunteered and went to prepared hopefully enough food to feed four male teenagers.

---------------------------------

"What's the point of this marriage law?" Pogue asked, from the back seat of my car. We were driving back to Ipswich. My family had practically thrown us out, using the excuse that we shouldn't be skipping classes, as if the reason why they wanted "us" to leave wasn't obvious. It wouldn't stop me from finding out why a meeting with my sister's future husband had ended the way it did.

"Did you guys read your letters at all?" We'd settled into an uneasy peace we'd probably all have to learn to live with if the new law wasn't retracted.

There was a loaded pause. Reid, who had wrestled the keys from me earlier claiming I drove too slowly, answered for the group. "We didn't really believe in the letters…"

"Which I take to mean that you either didn't read them or don't remember." I finished for him, turning so I was facing the driver's seat.

"Something like that," said Tyler sheepishly.

"The point is to infuse the magical community with new power, sort of reenergize it if you will," I explained. "Basically the population is dwindling. A lot of urm… 'magical beings' are as close to immortal as you can get, but many of them have a hard time carrying pregnancies to term or don't feel the need to even have kids. And the few children that are born seem to have stunted magical powers or none at all." I'd turned so I could look at them all as I spoke.

"How can that be?" Tyler asked, looking confused.

"No one really knows," I answered. "My best guess is the races are too inbreed."

"What do you mean by 'magical beings'?" Pogue asked at the same time Caleb who had finally tore his gaze away from the window asked, "What about Sarah and Kate?"

Pogue looked stricken; he stared at me hoping too for an answer.

"Marry them before whoever you're supposed to marry comes along." I couldn't give them better advice.

We were all thrown forward as the car came to an abrupt stop. I recovered first and undid the seatbelt I'd been wearing. I turned towards Reid ready to kill him, "What the hell was that? You're lucky there aren't any cars around!"

He kept on looking forward and answered my question with one of his own. "Were you expecting a friend?"

I frowned, a friend? What? "No, what does it have to do with anything?"

His gaze never wavered as he answered, "Well there's a girl on the road and she looks like she's been looking for us."

I scowled, but followed the trajectory of his eyes and found that there _was_ someone in the middle of the highway.

"Do you know her?" Pogue asked leaning between the two front seats, trying to get a better look at the girl.

I didn't get the chance to answer him.

"Tyler, you're a very hard little witch to find."

A/N: Okay I need feedback, pace too slow? I know I need some more descriptions, and I'm working on that. Probably more character interactions. Anything else? Also if you have ideas as to what could happen between point A and B. I know where I want it to go, but I need stuff in between.

Ahem, REVIEW!


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